Annular wig suitable for attachment to the natural hair



E. ALLISON Sept. 20, 1966 ANNULAR WIG SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NATURAL HAIR Filed May 28, 1965 6 Sheets$heet 1 INVENTOR ETHEL ALL/50A A ORNEY Sept. 20, 1966 E. ALLISON 3,273,570

ANNULAR WIG SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NATURAL HAIR Filed May 28, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ETHEL ALA/SON AT ORNEY E. ALLISON ANNULAR WIG SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NATURAL HAIR Filed May 28, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 A ORNEY TO THE NATURAL HAIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 20, 1966 E. ALLISON ANNULAR WIG SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT Filed May 28, 1965 FIG. .9

INVENTOR ETHEL ALL/SON BYQJLQW A RNEY Sept. 20, 1966 E. ALLISON 3,273,570

ANNULAR WIG SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NATURAL HAIR Filed May 28, 1965 INVENTOIR ETHEL AL L/SO/V BYg/ijiw ORNEY E. ALLISON Sept. 20, 1966 ANNULAR WIG SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NATURAL HAIR Filed May 28, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 F/G. l2

INVENTOIR ETHEL AL USO/V WM A TORNEY United States Patent f 3,273,570 ANNULAR WIG SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NATURAL HAIR Ethel Allison, 685 Park Place, Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed May 28, 1965, Ser. No. 464,595 Claims. (Cl. 132--53) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 256,168, filed February 4, 1963, for wig weaving, now abandoned.

This invention relates generally to hairpieces or wigs, and is especially concerned with a unique wig construction and method of attaching the Wig to a persons head.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a wig construction which more accurately simulates live hair, especially in its attractive appearance upon the head of a wearer, and may be treated in substantially the same manner as natural or live hair, as by combing, brushing, washing, drying, styling, tinting, etc.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wig construction and method of attaching a wig wherein normal circulation of air permits penetration and ventilation through to the wearers hair roots and scalp for comfort and health.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wig construction having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, which is simple in structure, durable and entirely reliable through out a long useful life, and which can be attached to the wearers head for positive securement thereto, and re moved therefrom as desired.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan view showing a hairpiece or wig constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIGURE 2. is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, greatly enlarged.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, also enlarged.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view showing a fabric element of the instant wig construction apart therefrom.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged partial perspective view showing details of wig construction of the instant invention.

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view showing a wearers head preparatory to application of a wig, all in accordance with the teachings of the instant invention.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged partial perspective view showing a cushionlike formation of the wearers head of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 99 of FIGURE 7, but showing a wig of the present invention in position on the wearers head.

FIGURE 10 is a top plan view showing a slightly modified embodiment of the present invention illustrating the wearers head preparatory to attachment of a wig.

FIGURE 11 is a partial perspective View illustrating a cushionlike formation of hte wearers head of FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 12-12 of FIGURE 10, but illustrating a wig secured in position on the wearers head.

3,Z73,5 70 Patented Sept. 20, 1966 Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURES 16 thereof, a hairpiece or wig is generally designated in FIG. 1, and includes a generally circular or annular outer formation or array 21 of commercial hair 22. The internal diameter of the annulus 21 is bounded by a circumferential binding or strip 23. The hair 22 is secured to the annular binding or strip 23 and extends radially outward from the latter. The annular array 21 is constructed as a fringe, wherein the hair 22 is bound together along one edge and extends freely therefrom to the other edge. A detailed drawing of such fringe construction is shown in FIGURE 6, wherein a pair of sets or groups 26 of hair 22 are each bent or folded along folds 27, with the free ends 28 of the hair extending away from the folds. Each set and 26 may be secured in its folded condition, as by respective lines of stitching 29 each extending along the adjacent fold 27, through the overlying layers of folded hair 22. With the folded hairsets 25 and 26 in adjacent side-by-side relation, as shown in FIGURE 6, and the folds 27 being proximate to each other, the binding strip 23 may be arranged to extend along the folds 27 about and in binding engagement with the sets 25 and 26. That is, the binding strip 23 has its opposite longitudinal margins or edge portions 30 and 31 on outer sides of respective adjacent hairsets 25 and 26 and secured together by stitching 32 extending along the longitudinal binding margins and through both hairsets.

For purposes of terminology, the above-described construction, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, may be considered as a hair fringe, and constitutes a basic unit of the wig 20.

In the annular array 21 of hair fringe, the end portions thereof may be wound or coiled together to define a coiled fringe 35, as seen in FIGURE 3. The coiled fringe 35 may be located at the forward region of the hairpiece 20, the upper region in FIGURE 1 and obscured therein.

In addition to the annular hair fringe or array 21, the wig 20 includes a plurality of arcuate hair arrays or fringes 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45. Each of the arcuate arrays 4045 may be constructed in the manner described hereinbefore in connection with FIGURE 6, and arranged to extend generally arcuately across the internal diameter of annular array 21. Further, the arcuate arrays -45 are arranged in generally parallel or concentic, radially spaced relation with respect to each other about centers of curvature located along the vertical centerline of annular array 21. Thus, the uppermost arcuate array or fringe 40 in FIGURE 1 is relatively short, while the successive arcuate arrays 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 are progressively longer and lower, and generally parallel. It is not essential that the arcuate arrays 40-45 be concentric; however, it is preferable that they extend in approximate parallelism between spaced regions of the binding 23 on opposite sides of the wig centerline.

As each arcuate fringe or hair array 4045 may be of the same construction as illustrated in FIGURE 6, the arrays 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 include respective arcuately extending bindings 46, 47, 48, 49, and 51. Extending radially outward from the bindings 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 and 51 are respective hairs 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, and 57. The hairs 52-57 extend radially outward from their respective arcuate bindings 4651, and generally downward, as seen in FIGURE 1.

Further, each array 40-45 has its opposite ends secured to spaced locations of the annular binding 23, on opposite sides of the wig centerline. For example, the arcuate array 42 has the opposite ends of its binding 48 secured, as by cross stitching 60, or other suitable means, to laterally opposite regions of binding 23. Similarly, the bindings 49, 50 and 51 of respective arrays 43, 44, and

3 45 are secured to binding 23 as by stitching 61, 62 and 63, or other suitable means.

Along the forward region of binding 23 is a sheet of scrim or other suitable fabric 65, extending laterally across and beneath the coiled fringe 35. The sheet 65 may be secured to the underside of coiled fringe 35, and adjacent portions of bindings 23, 46 and 47, as by stitching 66, best seen in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

In the method of attaching the wig 20, see FIGURES 7-9, a wearers head is generally designated 70, and the natural or living hair on the head is generally designated 71. The natural or living hair 71 is formed into cushionlike formation fixedly positioned on the wearers head 70, and the wig 20 is arranged over the cushionlike formation and secured thereto. In particular, a plurality of curls 72 of living hair may be wound at several spaced locations on the wearers head 70 and held in position by suitable pins 73. The curls or cushionlike formations 72 are wound relatively close to the wearers head 70 for fixed positioning relative thereto. With the curled formations 72 properly formed and secured in position by pins 73, the wig 20 may be arranged over the wearers head, and various binding portions of the wig secured to adjacent curls 72, as by suitable pins 74 in FIGURE 9.

The particular formations shown in FIGURE 7, wherein a plurality of curls 72 are formed along the front of the wearers head, together with one or more central curls, and a plurality of rearwardly located curls, has been found advantageous for use of the instant method by the wearer herself. That is, the formation of FIGURE 7 may be easily formed by the wearer, and the wig 20 is laid over the formation of FIGURE 7 and secured to the curls thereof by pins 74. Also, removal of the wig 20 from the condition shown in FIGURE 9 may be readily effected by the wearer, without professional or other assistance.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 10-12, there is illustrated a wearers head 70a, having thereon natural or live hair 71a. The live hair 71a is wound, curled, braided or otherwise formed into an elongate hank 72a advantageously arranged in a sinuous formation, such as shown in FIGURE 10, and fixedly secured in position on the wearers head, as by stitching 73a.

The sinous or winding hank 72a defines a cushionlike formation upon which is placed the wig 20. A plurality of spaced portions of bindings 23 and 4651 are secured to the cushionlike formation 72a, as by stitching 74a, extending through the binding portions and adjacent portions of cushionlike formation 72a. This embodiment of the instant method may be employed for more permanent wig attachment, and may, for that reason, be advantageous where the services of another person are available. Of course, the wig of FIGURE 12 may be removed from the wearers head, when desired, by severance or other removal of the securement stitching 74a.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a wig and method of attaching the same which fully accomplish their intended objects and are well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wig comprising an annular array of radially extending hair, an annular binding extending about the internal circumference of said annular array and securing together the hair of said annular array, a plurality of arcuate arrays of radially extending hair, a plurality of arcuate bindings each securing together the hair of a respective arcuate array, said arcuate arrays being arranged in generally concentric radially spaced relation with respect to each other and extending chordally across said annular binding, said arcuate bindings being secured at their respective ends to spaced regions of said annular binding.

2. A wig according to claim 1, in combination with a coiled fringe of hair secured to said annular binding at a location generally concentric with said arcuate arrays.

3. A wig according to claim 2, the hair of said coiled fringe extending generally radially away from the hair of said annular array.

4. A wig according to claim 2, in combination with a fabric sheet on one side of and secured to said coiled fringe.

5. A wig according to claim 4, said fabric sheet extending beyond said coiled fringe over the adjacent portion of said annular binding and being secured thereto.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 541,125 6/1895 Simonson 132-53 1,433,869 10/1922 Bonat et al 132-53 2,393,064 1/1946 Robinson 132-53 2,620,809 12/1952 Rosen 132-53 2,621,663 12/1952 Jenkins 1325 2,651,310 9/1953 Selson 13253 X 2,865,380 12/1958 Mitchell 1325 FOREIGN PATENTS 991,626 6/1951 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A WIG COMPRISING AN ANNULAR ARRAY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING HAIR, AN ANNULAR BINDING EXTENDING ABOUT THE INTERNAL CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID ANNULAR ARRAY AND SECURING TOGETHER THE HAIR OF SAID ANNULAR ARRAY, A PLURALITY OF ARCUATE ARRAYS OF RADIALLY EXTENDING HAIR, A PLURALITY OF ARCUATE BINDINGS EACH SECURING TOGETHER THE HAIR OF A RESPECTIVE ARCUATE ARRAY, SAID ARCUATE ARRAYS BEING ARRANGED IN GENERALLY CONCENTRIC RADIALLY SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND EXTENDING CHORDALLY ACROSS SAID ANNULAR BINDING, SAID ARCUATE BINDINGS BEING SECURED AT THEIR RESPECTIVE ENDS TO SPACED REGIONS OF SAID ANNULAR BINDING. 